Kristen Stewart Refuses To "Come Out", But Why Should She Have To, Anyway?

The subject of Kristen Stewart's sexuality has been a hot topic in the press for a while, but particularly over the past few years, ever since she ended her long relationship with Twilight co-star Robert Pattinson and started being photographed with rumored girlfriend Alicia Cargile. Back in June, it seemed that Stewart's mom, Sharon Feinstein, had confirmed the news that her daughter is bisexual, though she later denied ever having discussed her daughter's sexual preferences. And thank goodness for that, really. The media's obsession with reporting on who the actress chooses to date at any given time and "outing" her is ridiculous, and as she pointed out in the September issue of Nylon, Stewart will never be pressured into "coming out" when it doesn't feel right for her.

Considering that Stewart has always remained mum on the details of her private life, instead preferring to concentrate on her professional contributions as an actress, it should be no surprise that she's not keen to discuss or place labels on her sexuality. Who we choose to spend our time with or go to bed with at night isn't a matter of public consumption, and Stewart will never let it be so. She just wants to make movies, and what's wrong with that?

"If you feel like you really want to define yourself, and you have the ability to articulate those parameters and that in itself defines you, then do it. But I am an actress, man. I live in the f--king ambiguity of this life and I love it. I don't feel like it would be true for me to be like, 'I'm coming out!' No, I do a job. Until I decide that I'm starting a foundation or that I have some perspective or opinion that other people should be receiving... I don't."

Stewart was also hopeful that society's preoccupation with other people's sexuality will soon be over and that in the future, people won't be put in a position where they're forced to define themselves so that other people feel comfortable. "I think in three or four years, there are going to be a whole lot more people who don't think it's necessary to figure out if you're gay or straight," she explained. "It's like, just do your thing." That's a great attitude to have, and I certainly hope that's the way things go in the future, but it's still a terrible thing to have to deal with now.

It's likely that some sectors of the press will see Stewart's latest comments on the issue as either a confirmation or a denial of her bisexuality, thereby furthering her point. She's not saying there's anything wrong with those who choose to be vocal about their sexual identities and find empowerment through that vocalization, but rather that it's not her job to be an activist or a spokesperson for a community simply because she's in the spotlight, and that's completely true. Our entertainers — actresses, musicians, dancers, etc. — are there to do one thing: entertain us. But to believe that we have the right to be privy to the details of what they do in their time off is not only ridiculous, but completely inappropriate.

Stewart is a fantastically successful and accomplished actress who takes part in interesting and exciting projects, and isn't that all we should be asking of her? She does her job, so maybe we should stick to ours: appreciating her work and letting her live her life outside of it.